Page 34 of The Reaper's Vow
“You don't know anything about my soul.”
“Don't I?” I press closer, my body caging hers against the wall. “Then why does touching you feel like coming home? Why does your wolf purr when mine gets close?”
“She doesn't purr,” Karina protests, but even as she says it, I can feel the subtle shift in her energy, her wolf stretching beneath her skin, reaching for mine.
“Liar.” I brush my thumb across her pulse point, feeling the rapid flutter of her heartbeat. “I can feel her right now, pressing against your skin, wanting out.”
A soft whimper escapes her lips, the sound going straight to my cock. Her scent spikes again, so rich with arousal that I grip the wall behind her to keep from crushing my mouth to hers.
“This is insane.” Her back arches slightly, pressing her breasts against my chest, and I bite back a groan at the contact.
“Insane would be fighting this.” My other hand comes up to frame her face, my thumb tracing the curve of her bottom lip. “Insane would be pretending we don't both feel this pull.”
Her pulse hammers beneath my fingers, a rapid drumbeat that matches the thunder of my own heart. My wolf is clawing at the edges of my restraint, demanding I close the final inches between us and take what it believes is already ours. Her heat saturates the air, filling my lungs until my head swims and my body aches with need.
“Tell me to stop,” I growl, the sound unrecognizable even to myself. “Tell me you don’t feel it too, and I’ll walk away.”
Karina sits frozen, pupils blown wide, her scent betraying desire braided with unease. Her lips part soundlessly before a soft, helpless sound slips from her throat. The noise makes my body tighten painfully against my zipper.
“That’s what I thought.” I lean in until my breath brushes her mouth. “Your words can fight me, but your body already knows.”
“I didn’t ask for this. For you. For any of it.”
“Neither did I.” The confession grates out of me, a crack in the armor I’ve worn my entire life. “But here we are.”
My thumb drags slowly across her bottom lip, and she shudders under the contact. Her self-control is fraying; I can sense it in every tremor of her body, in the way her wolf presses closer to the surface.
Her voice breaks the quiet, rough with confusion. “If I… let this happen,” she whispers, eyes flicking up to mine, “if I give in to this thing between us… what does it mean? What happens to me?”
“There are two steps,” I say, my voice rough with need. “First is marking. We bite each other at the neck, drawing blood. It initiates the bond between us.”
Her hand flies to her throat, fingers pressing against the pulse point. “You want to bite me?”
“I want to do a lot more than bite you,” I growl, unable to keep the hunger from my voice. “But yes, I bite you. My teeth here—” I brush my fingers against the juncture where her neck meets her shoulder, feeling her shiver beneath my touch. “And yours on me, in the same spot.”
“That's it?” She sounds almost hopeful, and my wolf snarls at her obvious relief.
“No.” I lean closer, inhaling her intoxicating scent. “That's just the beginning. To make it permanent, we mate under the full moon.”
“So, we have to...” She can't finish the sentence, her cheeks flushing crimson.
“Yes.” I stroke my thumb along her jawline, marveling at the softness of her skin. “My cock inside of you, claiming you in the most ancient way possible,” I continue, watching her pupils dilate. “Your body taking mine while the moon witnesses our union, binding us together.”
“Binds us how?”
“Our wolves become one pack. We'll be able to sense each other's emotions, locations, and physical state.” I watch her as the implications sink in. “We'll know when the other is hurt, afraid, aroused...it means you'll never be alone again. You’ll always be connected to me.”
She worries her bottom lip between her teeth, and the sight stirs a low, restless sound from deep in my chest. I crave those teeth on my skin, claiming me as fiercely as I ache to claim her.
“What if…” she begins, then falters, hesitation flickering across her face. “What if we only did the first step? The bond. But not the… rest. The full moon is only days away. That gives me time to decide.”
“Decide? This isn’t some trial run, Karina.”
“It is for me.” Her palms press against my chest—not pushing me away, but holding space between us. “I didn’t ask for any of this. I didn’t ask to be tied to you, to be thrown into this life of bloodlines and pack rivalries.”
My grip on my restraint frays as she meets my eyes, defiance blazing through every line of her body. The thought of sharing a bond with her without sealing it fully is a torment of its own, yet the idea of forcing a union she’s not ready for is worse. Even the beast inside me recoils at the thought, despite the bone-deep hunger to make her mine.
“You don’t understand what you’re asking,” I snarl, voice rough with restraint. “To form the bond without the final act brings agony. A pain beyond imagining.”
